Jesus Lock is a lock on the River Cam

River Cam

The River Cam is a tributary of the River Great Ouse in the east of England. The two rivers join to the south of Ely at Pope's Corner. The Great Ouse connects the Cam to England's canal system and to the North Sea at King's Lynn...

 in the north of central Cambridge

Cambridge

The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...

, England. This is Lock No. 1 on the navigable portion of the River Cam. It was built in 1836 and is the only lock in the city. Jesus Green Lock Cottage, the former lock-keeper's cottage, is by the lock on Jesus Green. It is owned by Conservators of the River Cam and is rented out to students.

The lock is located north of Jesus Green

Jesus Green

Jesus Green is a park in the north of central Cambridge, England. It is located north of Jesus College, hence the name. Jesus Ditch runs through Jesus Green. On the northern edge of Jesus Green is the River Cam, with Chesterton Road on the opposite side. To the east is Victoria Avenue and beyond...

, which itself is north of Jesus College

Jesus College, Cambridge

Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...

, hence the name. To the north of Jesus Lock is Chesterton Road

Chesterton Road, Cambridge

Chesterton Road is a road in the north of Cambridge, England. The southwestern part of the road is known as Chesterton Lane. This links with Northampton Street at the junction with Castle Street to the northwest and Magdalene Street leading southeast across the River Cam into central Cambridge...

 (the A1303

A1303 road

The A1303 is a predominantly single carriageway road running entirely in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. Prior to the construction of the Cambridge northern bypass and the Newmarket bypass, the A1303 had been classified as part of the A45....

). To the east (downstream) is Victoria Avenue Bridge

Victoria Avenue Bridge

Victoria Avenue Bridge is a single-arch road bridge across the River Cam in Cambridge, England. Immediately to the north is Chesterton Road and a major junction with Victoria Road and Milton Road....

 on Victoria Avenue and beyond that Midsummer Common

Midsummer Common

Midsummer Common is an area of common land in central Cambridge, UK. The Cambridge Midsummer Fair held on the common is one of the oldest fairs in the UK and at one point was among England's largest...

, common land

Common land

Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...

 still used for grazing

Grazing

Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...

. Close by just downstream is Jesus Green Swimming Pool

Jesus Green Swimming Pool

Jesus Green Swimming Pool is a lido situated on Jesus Green in Cambridge, England. Opened in 1923, it is one of the few remaining examples of the lidos built across the country in the 1920s — open air pools with space for activities other than swimming. Unusually, the pool is significantly longer...

, a very long outdoor lido.

The stretch of river northeast (downstream) of Jesus Lock is sometimes called the lower river. The stretch between Jesus Lock and Baits Bite Lock is much used for rowing. There are also many residential boats on this stretch, their occupants forming a community who call themselves the Camboaters. The stretch above Jesus Lock is sometimes known as the middle river.

Footbridge

Jesus Lock footbridge on the Cam links Chesterton Road with Jesus Green for pedestrians next to the lock. The bridge has metal trellis railings and a wooden surface for walking. Cyclists must dismount when crossing the bridge.

The bridge was built c.1892, soon after Victoria Avenue Bridge, close by downstream at the northeast corner of Jesus Green. The next bridge to the southwest (upstream) is Magdalene Bridge.